Skipping Stones
by Sparks-In-Water
Summary: America reflects on one of the memories that he shared with England when he was little. Child!America x England Brotherly fluff.


**Gosh, how long ago did I even write this? A year maybe? A few months? Well whatever. It was kind of just sitting there in my notebook and I had nothing else better to do today so now you guys get to read it! Not that exciting. It probably sucks. This was in the middle of school when I got bored so this can't be one of my best works at all considering I barely worked on it.**

**Basically, a Child! America and England brotherly fic.**

**Disclaimer: Do not own.**

Alfred Jones stared ahead into the vast lake that lay directly before him. The wind whipped up the smooth water into little waves. The first rays of dawning sunlight peered out from behind the clouds.

Something this morning had encouraged him to come and visit here. This simple place brought back many memories. Some of which were painful to even bring to mind. But there was one specific one that had found itself back into the center of his mind ever since he arrived here early this morning.

His boot skimmed the small black rocks that lined the water's edge. Alfred bent down and picked one of them up to rest in his palm. It fit nicely and shined like the rays of sunlight that rested peacefully on the crystalline water. It was flat, just like they had always been ever since the first time that he had ever come here in what seemed like it was very long ago.

He strolled slowly to the soft green grass and sat down. Memories flooded back into his mind as he did so. He gripped the grass around him, letting the old thought take him over for a little bit.

_A small boy of about seven laughed as he ran across the black rocks only stopping to ever so slightly let his small fingers cut through the sparkling water that bordered them._

"_Can't you at least wait for me to get there first?" a voice said as a man emerged from the clutter of thick trees behind them. The man, definitely from England, had emerald green eyes and messy blonde hair that rested over them and a pair of unusually large eyebrows. He wore a simple dress shirt, rolled up at the sleeves, and a pair of black trousers._

"_Sorry, Arthur," the little boy said laughing, as said Arthur ruffled his blonde hair._

"_Now," he said. "You like it here don't you America?" The boy smiled even more as a response to say 'yes'. _

_Arthur smiled happily and stooped down picking up one of the flat ebony rocks. "Take a look." He positioned his fingers to fit with the stone and brought back his arm slowly. With the quick flick of his wrist, the rock sailed smoothly into the air over the water._

_Alfred sat there confused as to why Arthur had basically just told him how to throw a rock. He wasn't stupid. He knew it was going to sink as soon as it made contact with the water. _

_He was wrong._

_The black stone went a little downwards, breaking the straight path that it once soared. It hit the water but it did not sink. It __skipped__. _

_It jumped up and down one…two…three…four times before it finally stopped and sank into the water. Seeing this end, Arthur turned back to his little brother his baby blue eyes wide with utter amusement. "Wow! I want to do that!" he exclaimed excitedly. "I want to be just like you!" "I knew you would love it and of course I will teach you," Arthur said to the child._

_Alfred, eager to start, bent down and picked up a rock that fit his hand perfectly. His big brother came and places his fingers in the correct position over the rock. Arthur started to place his arm in the right spot but Alfred pulled away after realizing this._

"_No! I already know how to do it! I'll just do whatever you did!" Alfred did all the motions he had seen previously but when he threw the rock, it only plunged deep into the cerulean water. The little blonde frowned. He had done everything that Arthur did but the result was completely different._

_His blue eyes stared in confusion at his brother's green ones. "What happened?" he said, bewilderment painting his voice. "It's okay," the Brit said. "It takes a lot of practice to do this. You usually don't make it skip on the first try." Alfred's face lightened up a little bit after hearing this._

"_Let me help you throw it this time" He suggested. Alfred nodded enthusiastically in agreement. _

* * *

_They had been at the lake for almost the whole day now set aside the break that they had for lunch. The sun settled on the horizon, as the water and sky were painted with vivid colors like, yellow, orange, red and pink. Even after all that, Alfred had still not gotten the hang of it._

_The two brothers now sat together on the big rocks near the water. Alfred looked defeated but determined. Arthur, face in hands, looked like he was deep in thought. The smaller one toyed with the black stone that was currently in his hand._

_ "Why can't I be just like you?" Alfred said making eye contact with the older man next to him. Arthur looked up. "Look," he said. "For some people it could take years even to master a skill. For others, it is different." "But I want to learn today!" Alfred complained. "Alright. Fine. We'll stay for one more chance but after that, we are going home got it?" Arthur said, a little bit irritated. Alfred nodded._

_ He got up and selected a new rock. "Okay." He moved his arm back. After many attempts, he had finally gotten the concept but the rock would still sink. And it still did even this time._

_ Alfred felt like crying. He thought that no matter how much he tried, he would never be as good as Arthur. _

_ "Come on Alfred. Just once more and then we have to be going home. After all, it's getting a little late." The older man said taking a few steps on the path back to their house. _

_The younger blonde sighed then bent down to pick up his last rock. This was his last chance today. He just had to get it right. Pulling back his hand, he flicked the rock into the cool evening air. Watching the black stone intently, he saw it start to drop slowly._

_The time it took to get from the air to the water's surface was incredibly long. _

_The rock then touched the water ever so slightly. Alfred's breath hitched as this happened. Come on. This had to work. Then after doing so for one quick second, it jumped up again slicing through the wind._

_It did this only once before it hit the lake again and plummeted into the depths of the sky-painted water._

_Alfred's blue eyes shone with delight like the sunlight dancing on the water. "I did it!" he exclaimed, expressing absolute joy. Arthur clapped his hands once and strode over to his brother. "Congratulations, my boy. I knew you could do it." He ruffled his hair watching as the younger boy laughed._

_He checked his watch. "We should probably be getting home now." Arthur guided his brother back on the path._

_Alfred skipped ahead, hand in hand with him as he dragged his brother along. He told him the stories of how he felt that day. Arthur laughed._

Alfred couldn't remember the last time he had heard Arthur laugh. After the Revolutionary War, he had barely smiled let alone laughed.

It saddened him that Arthur wasn't the man he once knew. He loved him and wanted him to feel the same about him but how could he if his own younger brother had betrayed him? He probably almost hated him for being so terrible. Sure he had a soft spot for him but it is not like the love he once got and would now like to have back.

Alfred sighed getting up from the grass. Rock in hand, he advanced to the water's edge, letting the lake brush up against the tips of his shoes. He wasn't sure it would work since the last time he had done this was before the war. Just as he remembered it from that day, he positioned his fingers. He brought his hand back.

And for the first time in almost a hundred years, he skipped it.

**Was that really as bad as I thought it would be? Constructive criticism is appreciated, please? Review? Maybe? Whatever.**


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